Niño Wrestles the World

by Yuyi Morales, Yuyi Morales (Illustrator)

Overview

Señoras y señores, put your hands together for the fantastic, spectacular, one of a kind . . . Niño!

Fwap! Slish! Bloop! Krunch! He takes down his competition in a single move!

No opponent is too big a challenge for the cunning skills of Niño--popsicle eater, toy lover, somersault expert, and world champion lucha libre competitor!

A Neal Porter Book

Latino Interest. In English with Spanish vocabulary.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250062703
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	08/25/2015
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	25,102
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Born in Mexico and raised among giant grandmothers, mossy house walls, and rampaging feral gardens, Yuyi Morales fostered a strong bond with the magical stories that ran in her family. Since having immigrated to the USA in 1994, she has drawn from her family's legacy and her heritage to create some of the most celebrated Latino works for children's books. Yuyi won the Pura Belpre Medal for Illustration in both 2004 and 2008.

Editorial Reviews

Kids with multicultural classmates will recognize (or learn) Niño's many Spanish exclamations. A closing note explains the lucha libre culture.

Booklist

Mamiverse.com - Top 50 Latino Children's Books You Should Know

From the Publisher

Morales (Georgia in Hawaii) takes her theme from Mexican professional wrestling, and the resulting story is every bit as fun and campy as the theatrical fighting it’s based on. The stars of “lucha libre,” an afterword explains, wear masks that add to their mystery. Niño—“The Boy”—is ready for action in his red mask, sneakers, and underpants. The story rockets from cero to sesenta as Niño imagines taking on the scary demons and bad guys of Mexican lore and knocking them off, one after another, with his own trademark wrestling moves. He undoes the groaning Guanajuato Mummy with a Tickle Tackle, deceives the child-stealing Weeping Woman with decoy baby dolls, and is taken aback only by Las Hermanitas—his little sisters, who have just woken up from their nap. Truly eerie opponents, Spanish exclamations (“Zok!” “Pachatas!”), a bold design, and a lurid palette all contribute to the in-your-face style. Capsule profiles of the combatants on the endpages (Las Hermanitas’ battle cry is “Constant and loud”) only add to the entertainment. Vivan las luchas! Ages 4–8. Agent: Charlotte Sheedy Literary Agency. (June)

Publishers Weekly

Have you ever seen a tyke of a hero, who wears briefs, a superhero style mask, and sneakers? Well, you will if you read Nino Wrestles the World. Readers will be introduced to "Lucha Libre," a style of professional wrestling popular in Mexico as well as some other Spanish-speaking countries. Little Nino, who is first shown playing with Legos, toy cars, and, of course, toy wrestlers in a miniature wrestling ring, becomes Nino the wrestler who takes on a host of out-of-the-world challengers. His greatest challenge, however, turns out to be his two baby sisters, "las hermanitas," whose "lucha" (fighting) style includes biting, hair pulling, and eye poking. Yuyi Morales has created a colorful, imaginative story that incorporates an array of font sizes and styles, speech bubbles, onomatopoeic words presented comic book style, and brief character sketches, as well as background information on Lucha Libre and put it in a bookthat young boys will want to return to time after time. Reviewer: Maria Lamattina

Children's Literature - Maria Lamattina

K-Gr 2—Playing alone in his room, Niño dons his Lucha Libre mask and lets his imagination take flight. (According to an endnote, Lucha Libre is a dramatic form of professional wrestling followed by fans in Mexico.) The young hero is then ready to take on an eclectic cast of monstrous opponents. Spurred on by chanting crowds, the boy handily defeats the Guanajuato Mummy (La Momia de Guanajuato), Olmec Head (Cabeza Olmeca), and the Weeping Woman (La Llorona), using a variety of clever strategies. Next up is El Extraterrestre and then El Chamuco. Niño remains undefeated until the dreadful hour arrives. Nap time is over and his baby sisters are ready to wrestle. Las Hermanitas will stop at nothing, and Niño soon realizes that it is better to join forces with them. Together, the siblings form a tag team, challenging all contenders. The fast-paced narrative is sprinkled with Spanish vocabulary and accompanied by energetic and vivid illustrations adorned with stars and rays of light that bring to mind stylishly designed event posters. In comic-book fashion, the bold portrayal of each match includes dialogue bubbles and sound effects printed in decorative fonts ("whunk," "bloop," "krunch"). The endpapers feature amusing profiles of the competitors. Captivated youngsters will cheer for Niño as he takes on each opponent in this action-packed story.—Linda L. Walkins, Saint Joseph Preparatory High School, Boston, MA

School Library Journal

Little luchador Niño battles out-of-this-world opponents one by one until he finally meets his match. Niño has a big imagination and a love of lucha libre, the popular Mexican masked wrestling. While his sisters nap, he becomes an impressive luchador, facing competitors often drawn from Mexican history and folklore. The text, unfolding as if by a commentator calling the action, begs to be read aloud. Challengers are vanquished not by violence but by gentle horseplay and clever wit--until Niño meets Las Hermanitas, awake from their naps, and must quickly devise a new strategy to take on such crafty adversaries. A multiple Pura Belpré medal winner, Morales' (Just in Case, 2008, etc.) style of illustration continues to evolve with this title. She uses a graphic approach reminiscent of a comic book, with speech bubbles and sound effects, a smart choice for moving along the action of the plot. This design will appeal to children who may struggle to find picture books that match their interests and energy level, especially boys. Trading-card–style introductions to each opponent on the endpapers include pronunciation guidance for Spanish names. Occasional challenges with text placement and page flow keep this title from being flawless, but young readers will be so engrossed with this humorous story that these issues are easy to overlook. Sure to be a smash. (author's note) (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews